Susan Strasberg

American actress who made her film debut in 1954, followed by playing the lead in, "The Diary Of Anne Frank" in 1955. The daughter of acting teacher Lee Strasberg, at the age of 13 she first appeared on stage; the next year she played Juliet on TV. Surrounded by actors from childhood, she found her father brilliant but domineering. To retain her own talent, she refused to take classes from her parents - or advice.

At 20, she was heart-broken when her first love, Richard Burton, dumped her and married Sybil Williams. Her Hollywood career began with early acclaim in such films as "Picnic," 1955, but her

brilliant youth full of promise fizzled and she ultimately garnered only mediocre film roles in some two dozen films.

She married actor Christopher Jones in 1965 for a disastrous year. Their daughter Jennifer was born with four holes in her heart and Susan experienced the guilt of wondering whether her experimentation with drugs was responsible. Her daughter grew up healthy and became a receptionist at the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute in Los Angeles.

Strasberg had the gift of friendship; Marilyn Monroe was like a sister, and Diane Ladd a longtime friend. Her romantic partners included Warren Beatty and Cary Grant. In her later years she told all in two well-written books that dealt frankly with her own insecurities and sadly diminished expectations.

Financially at a low point, with no medical insurance, in December 1998 Strasberg sold a cherished possession, a string of pearls that had belonged to Marilyn Monroe, for $100,000. She died of breast cancer on January 21, 1999, New York City.